According to Gulf News, US officials said limited US strikes hit Iranian air-defence systems on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal reported that some Arab states warned Tehran they could retaliate, alone or together, if their infrastructure is attacked. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told the Manama Dialogue that the UAE wants diplomacy but is braced for the worst. No decision has been reported on renewed US strikes, although the US military is said to have briefed President Trump on options and the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading to the region.
Talks mediated by Qatar have not produced an agreement. Iran is reported to be demanding sanctions relief, an end to the US naval blockade and the release of frozen funds, and a senior Iranian official said the sides were still far apart. The Times of Israel reported that Supreme Leader Khamenei said those expecting a change in US policy after the American elections are seriously mistaken.
At sea, a tanker was hit by two unidentified projectiles off Oman and nobody was hurt. An Indian sailor died in an attack on another vessel off Oman. Only five commodity ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and none on Sunday, compared with more than 130 a day before the war. Brent crude fell nearly 7 per cent on 2 November to about $105.50 and was about $103 on 4 November, according to OilPrice.com, still well above pre-war levels. Etihad has extended its suspension of flights from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam through 5 November.
Reporting note: casualty and strike claims come from officials and outlets cited by Gulf News and have not been independently verified.
Photo: NASA / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
